Italy’s autumn strike season began in earnest on 7 November 2025, when local-public-transport unions in Milan, Palermo, Latina and Messina walked out for 24 hours. Services on metro lines, trams and buses were reduced to a bare-bones timetable outside the legally protected rush-hour windows (06:00-09:00 and 18:00-21:00). At Milan’s ATM, only 30 % of scheduled vehicles circulated, while Palermo’s AMAT network suspended suburban bus routes altogether.
Although Italy’s strike laws guarantee a limited service during peak periods, business travellers felt the disruption sharply. Milan’s Rho-Pero trade-fair grounds reported queues of more than an hour for replacement shuttle buses. Several multinationals instructed staff to work from home, while hotel concierges in the fashion district organised ad-hoc car-sharing groups for guests with early-morning flights from Linate and Malpensa.
![24-Hour Local Transport Strikes Snarl Mobility in Four Italian Cities on 7 November 2025]()
The action is part of a wider calendar coordinated by the USB and ASIA-USB unions to protest wage stagnation and the government’s 2026 public-spending bill. Next up is a nationwide 4-hour air-traffic-control strike on 14 November, followed by a 24-hour rail stoppage on 27-28 November. Human-resource managers with transferees or expats in Italy are therefore reviewing contingency plans and reminding travelling staff that EU air-passenger-rights rules apply only to flights cancelled less than 14 days before departure.
Practical advice for mobility teams includes building extra travel time into November itineraries, booking fully flexible fares, and using ride-hailing apps that allow pre-booking (Free Now, ItTaxi) rather than relying on street cabs, which are also subject to strike participation. Companies with rotational assignees should confirm that rental-car contracts permit out-of-region drop-offs in case rail journeys are disrupted later in the month.
While Italy’s fragmented labour landscape means that not every city is affected the same way, the 7 November walk-out underscores how transport labour relations can quickly spill over into commercial mobility. Organisations running high-value meetings in Milan’s financial district or site visits at Palermo’s port terminals should keep a close watch on the updated strike calendar and communicate early with travellers and relocating employees.
Although Italy’s strike laws guarantee a limited service during peak periods, business travellers felt the disruption sharply. Milan’s Rho-Pero trade-fair grounds reported queues of more than an hour for replacement shuttle buses. Several multinationals instructed staff to work from home, while hotel concierges in the fashion district organised ad-hoc car-sharing groups for guests with early-morning flights from Linate and Malpensa.
The action is part of a wider calendar coordinated by the USB and ASIA-USB unions to protest wage stagnation and the government’s 2026 public-spending bill. Next up is a nationwide 4-hour air-traffic-control strike on 14 November, followed by a 24-hour rail stoppage on 27-28 November. Human-resource managers with transferees or expats in Italy are therefore reviewing contingency plans and reminding travelling staff that EU air-passenger-rights rules apply only to flights cancelled less than 14 days before departure.
Practical advice for mobility teams includes building extra travel time into November itineraries, booking fully flexible fares, and using ride-hailing apps that allow pre-booking (Free Now, ItTaxi) rather than relying on street cabs, which are also subject to strike participation. Companies with rotational assignees should confirm that rental-car contracts permit out-of-region drop-offs in case rail journeys are disrupted later in the month.
While Italy’s fragmented labour landscape means that not every city is affected the same way, the 7 November walk-out underscores how transport labour relations can quickly spill over into commercial mobility. Organisations running high-value meetings in Milan’s financial district or site visits at Palermo’s port terminals should keep a close watch on the updated strike calendar and communicate early with travellers and relocating employees.
